Name giving and identity

Abstract

Name giving and identity

The future of minorities in the long run, apart from external circumstances (i.e. the relation of the majority to them) is decisively influenced by how they identify themselves. Identity is determined by psychological factors shaped by historical, social and cultural knowledge. – People regard their names as their innermost own. Giving a name may serve different purposes (protection, samples, expressing wishes or desires). In a minority situation, apart from these, parents might also want to determine the affiliation of their offspring through their name. Baptismal data from Upper Austria give account of the name giving practices of Hungarian refugees in the last more than 50 years. Changes in appearances and frequencies of names, or name varieties reflect changes in Hungarian identity from generation to generation – and vice versa.